1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a door opener switch with a tubular housing and a button that can move axially in the housing to actuate a switching mechanism that is connected with the housing, whereby the button can be held in its idle position by a restoring force and can be pushed in against the action of said return force, with a lever that is oriented transversely in the path of movement of the button and can be pivoted by the button around a pivot bearing, which lever acts with a location that is at some distance from the pivot bearing on the switching mechanism, whereby the button contacts the lever between the pivot bearing and the above mentioned location.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Door opener switches require a push button that has a large surface area with a short actuator travel and a flat construction. To achieve this combination, switches of the prior art are equipped with electronic circuit elements, although such elements are sensitive to voltage surges. Voltage surges of this type are common, especially in public transit systems such as railroads, streetcars etc. and can lead to damage to the switches or to disruptions in the operation of the door.
To correct this undesirable situation, this same applicant""s EP 0 743 136 describes a door opener switch that combines the advantages of an electronic switch that has a short actuator travel with the advantages of a mechanical switch, in particular the rugged construction of the latter. This door opener switch works satisfactorily.
The door opener switches of the prior art described above generally have a collar, the front or back side of which forms a contact surface, and which are mounted in contact with the side surface of a streetcar or similar vehicle. In the prior art, two door opener switches, one inside and one outside, are currently required to operate a door.
On the basis of the prior art described above, the object of the invention is a door opener switch of the type described above, with which, in the form of a single switch, a door, for example the door of a public transit vehicle, can be actuated both from inside and from outside.
The invention teaches that on the back side of the housing there is an additional button which is oriented concentric to the first button, that the pivot bearing is provided in a lever element which can be displaced in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the housing toward the first button, that the additional button contacts the lever element and that the additional button is held in its idle position by the restoring force and can be pushed in against the action of said restoring force. Therefore the invention also teaches a dense construction that creates a simple and also streamlined double door switch regardless of the actual thickness of the glass.
Additional advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed.